The SR-71 'Blackbird's' twin Pratt & Whitney J-58 engines generating 32,500 pounds of thrust incorporating a sophisticated Air Inlet Control System to adjust the engine intake airflow for peak performance at sustained flights above Mach 3, to titanium alloys and specialized design features that permitted the aircraft to dissipate heat and expand to accommodate surface temperatures exceeding 1000 degrees F. The flared design of the ÒchinesÓ, the cheek pieces extending along the nose flowing into the aircraft wings, provided lift and improved controllability while contributing to the low radar cross- section combined with specialized paint and radar absorbing composites making the SR-71 one of the first aircraft to use stealth technology. [marchfield.org]
Photo by Craig Maas on Thursday, August 11, 1994 at the March Air Force Base, Riverside, CA.